Salford Red Devils, taken over by Marwan Koukash in 2013, is in financial turmoil, the Salford Star understands, with visits by bailiffs, top players having difficulties getting paid and an `active proposal to strike off' the company at Companies House.

There are also reports of player Tony Puletua suing the club for around £50,000 he claims he is owed, and a strike at the club earlier this year by unpaid physios. Koukash has an outstanding £1.5million loan to pay back to Salford Council.

Salford Red Devils fans have been left shocked recently as top players have either left, or are planning to leave, the Super League rugby club that owner Marwan Koukash insists is "trying to build for a bright future".

Theo Fages, around who Koukash is trying to build this `bright future', has put in a transfer request. Lama Tasi left last month for St Helens*; Kevin Locke is apparently on his way out, and Tony Puletua is now on loan at Hull KR amidst claims in the Sydney Herald that he is currently suing the Red Devils for £50,000 he is owed by the club.

Meanwhile, reports are rife on social media of one player having to sell his car to get money, others not having the rent paid on their houses and many star players having major difficulties getting money owed to them from the club. An informed source told the Salford Star that the rumours are `mostly true'.

Salford Star also understands that earlier in the season there was actually a strike by the club's physiotherapists to force the club to pay them over three months' wages that were due, and that, this week, bailiffs visited the club's headquarters looking to recover unpaid debts. Last September, Salford Red Devils were issued with a County Court Judgement by shirt suppliers, Kooga, for non-payment of bills (see previous Salford Star article – click here).

On the Companies House website today there is an `Active proposal to strike off' the company as annual returns, due by 20th February, have not been submitted.

The Salford Star asked Salford Red Devils to comment on all these allegations but, as yet, has received no response.

If reports of the perilous Salford Red Devils finances are accurate, it would leave huge question marks over the £1.5million loan that Marwan Koukash promised to repay to Salford City Council after he took over the club (see here), and the fate of the Salford Council/Peel Holdings owned AJ Bell Stadium, which has been mired in controversy since the £164,000 secret Council giveaway was exposed (see here).

Koukash has gone public today with plans to let fans in for free to next month's match against Catalan Dragons at the AJ Bell stadium. The impact of this on the club's finances and possible debts to the players remains to be seen.

On reading the rumours of the Red Devils' dealings with players on social media last night, Salford Reds fan and author Simon Williams, posted...

"As a fan of any club you put your trust in the owners, the chairman, the coach, the players and anyone who has anything to do with the club. You follow them with all your passion, and trust everything they say. In return they get your support which is lifelong. Some seasons ain't as good as other; sometimes you say `Never again, that's my last game' but you always turn up, season after season; you are the lifeblood of the club...

"Some chairmen need to remember this" he added "Some players play with passion , the passion you as a fan show on the ground, which is why you love your team and will always be there for them. Chairmen come and go but one thing is for sure, you as a fan will always be there even if your club has to start from the bottom. You are the heartbeat of the team. Never forget that. It is a pity some chairmen do..."

* This should have read `signed' for St Helens last month - he's not due to go until 2016.

Game over kukash, you've been found out wroteat 07:27:50 on 18 June 2015

What's the difference between a pile of horse shit and salford rugby club, a pile of horse shit has still got value in it. Send in the baliffs while we still have scrap value for the salford reds turkey shed of a stadium.

Michael F in SalFord wroteat 11:08:01 on 16 June 2015

It is essential our Salford Council puts its skilled staff into finding long lasting ways to safeguard all sports in Salford. Health, well-being and lifestyle improvements include us having motivational events as one of the community assets; attracting investments, building healthy futures and making Salford proud.

On the cards wroteat 09:07:52 on 12 June 2015

I have been telling friends from outside the area about this saga for a few years and what I thought the outcome would be. They could not believe it. It looks like it is about to hit the fan.

simon williams wroteat 07:40:11 on 12 June 2015

seems there is some truth in this story Salford Star ........http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/33098859 ....

Bring back Salford RLFC wroteat 07:40:07 on 12 June 2015

There is truth in the rumors. MK suddenly transfers the club to one of his other (no doubt dodgy) businesses. He has a track record or failing companies, especially hotels in Liverpool...... If he only owes ₤50k to creditors, surely this amount would be pennies to a supposedly know Arab 'Billionaire'?? If his is a Billionaire, then why is he paying off loans and debts over time and not as a lump?
His property in Rainhill, though extravagant, is not somewhere a Billionaire would live. It can be easily found on Google Earth.
At most, MK is prob worth around ₤10-20million yet his disciples tend to see him as a messiah complex....LMAO

simon williams wroteat 18:24:30 on 11 June 2015

All it takes is for The Doctor or Martin Vickers to denythis story then it will be put to bed , but the longer they don't the story will gather pace , still say Salford should never have moved to barton , and stay in the city , where the club belongs .......

Paul Walker wroteat 15:52:37 on 11 June 2015

Great shame that a Salford business with a 136 year contribution to the local tax pot and a company that never makes a penny profit is being used for political influence. A community club for over 13 decades supported by generous private benefactors with no motive for personal or financial gain.
These benefactors over generations have had no other agenda than putting our city great on the sporting map.
Please take the time to educate yourselves on all the good work the club does for the local community rather than digging for dirt and trying to influence negative opinions about our only professional sports club.

Garrido Out wroteat 13:28:49 on 11 June 2015

The Salford Star: More denials than a Labour council.

Salford Star wroteat 10:22:47 on 11 June 2015

See John Barrow's comments below...Re The Willows we are investigating this and an article will appear shortly. Re Garrido Out's comment...we were asked to do this, we never reveal our sources but it ain't her, what more do you need? We note that the club has still not denied the story.

John Barrow wroteat 10:15:52 on 11 June 2015

John Wilkinson was forced by The RFL to move from The Willows and with the council came up with Barton.It was to be the death knell for the Wilkinson regime and after nearly three years will be for Marwan. I am now getting fed up with the bluff and bluster from Marwan new ground for Swinton buying Oldham FC Gold Coast Bradford Northern the list goes on and on and if we get relegated that will be the end of Marwan.
However it is a crying shame that the Willows is now
just waste land and you should concentrate your efforts on that.
I am no fan of this Labour council or Peel Holdings
but Media City etc is far better then Ewan's Dirty
Old Town.

mancman16 wroteat 10:15:47 on 11 June 2015

Surely enough is enough, its about time the council severed all links with the rugby club its not a viable business so it should be allowed to fail.Im sick of my money being used to fund a millionaires private company, let him blow his own cash and not ours. perhaps the subsidies it receives can then be spent on the more needy and vulnerable people in Salford.

joe oneill wroteat 10:12:14 on 11 June 2015

The Star highlights a problem Labours white elephant, a millstone around the people of the city all thanks to the ego of Labours leadership. What once offered a club where you could watch some good acts and a game of rugby even then a dwindling fan base turns into am empty stadium with it's CEO begging for people to come. Loan after loan passed across and weeks later reading still it faces financial ruin. It's a shambles and will get no better for me I would wipe our losses off the books send in the bailiffs and turn it into one more supermarket,

Garrido Out wroteat 10:11:49 on 11 June 2015

How strange to see the Salford star social media publicly naming someone (who nobody else has mentioned) as being 300% not the source of this story....

Bring back Salford RLFC wroteat 06:26:59 on 11 June 2015

WOW!!! Is this absolutely necessary from the owner of a PROFESSIONAL club and he wonders why the fanbase is dwindling down to a few of his loyal disciples....
HAHAHAHAHA
https://twitter.com/drmarwanK/status/608679292004888577

Bring back Salford RLFC wroteat 06:26:12 on 11 June 2015

John Barrow, well said sir. Sadl that most Reds fans have their heads up their a*ses and can't see the real issues at hand here. I'm no lover of communism or this rag but they are on the ball here! The cracks have been showing for the past 18 months!
To to clowns who 'think' Koukash is a Billionaire, seriously? He is NOT. Like his countrymen, he has the tendency to play the pork pie.
Another loan? How about you address your comments to Martin Vickers, you know the ex-CEO of the City of Salford who WAS involved with such financial scams, sorry, help......

paul wroteat 06:25:35 on 11 June 2015

Imagine how much bigger their financial problems would be if they were paying salford council what they should be in regards to fair rent and money towards the street cleaning that someone said salford gives them for free. Not surprising when you think kukashes right hand man used to work at salford council and wasn't very good at managing their finances

Scott cooper wroteat 06:25:16 on 11 June 2015

Salford Council should send in the bailiffs to recover some of the tax payers money they have loaned the club. But no, instead they rather hound the residents of the city with Bailiff action over very small amounts of money!!

True Salfordian wroteat 06:24:36 on 11 June 2015

Amazing that this site continues to deal in rumours about SRLFC whilst promoting a team that has ties to Salford in name only. Why not change the name of this site to Bitter Bitter Swinton Star?

Cif wroteat 17:35:12 on 10 June 2015

Garrido, and all the other sceptics must know that ALL these statements are true. All you need to do is ask a player and they will 100% vouch for it :)

John Barrow wroteat 17:35:07 on 10 June 2015

All is not well at the club and it may be down to
Marwan's management style, players and staff come and
go along with his latest ideas.
But you should be supporting the city's sporting teams you were always promoting Salford City FC
until the class of 92 took over and now slate them.
Like it or not Peel Holdings have a big hold on our city would prefer a wasteland of old docks or what
is there now.

Another loan? wroteat 17:34:33 on 10 June 2015

Surely even out D-ck he-d council with not give them another loan so they can repay the interest on the previous two?
Right from the start this has had a funny smell. I can see the people of Salford footing the bill and then the council lending more money to another shyster, in the hope of recovering some of what they have lost with this farce.

harry livesey wroteat 17:34:16 on 10 June 2015

as garrido says..Rumours..if not true it's shamefull to disrupt the club,player's and fan's..we all should be backing the club not rumour mongering

marwan koucash wroteat 17:34:09 on 10 June 2015

there is no truth in these rumours!

Dave Tarry wroteat 17:33:50 on 10 June 2015

What a pathetic article. Could you questions for you, Salford Star;
1. Which player has had to sell his car?
2. Also, which are these "others" who are struggling to pay their rent.
If you're going to throw the sh*t and hope it sticks, name names rather just than speculating.
Your source is obviously bang on, so what's the problem?

Bring back Salford RLFC wroteat 15:49:58 on 10 June 2015

The best thing to happen would be for Koukash to sell up and move on. It has not been a good spell for the club with so much momentum built and little delivered.
I cannot under how Martin Vickers got the gig as CEO. The club have next to no marketing dept or budget. They are worse run than some lower grade clubs.
I would rather see the club in the Championship and run better than this and managed by supporters until real professionals turn up as frankly the current clowns at the club are making a dogs b*llocks of it.

James Rowley wroteat 15:49:54 on 10 June 2015

This is not good news one bit...Hopefully it will all get sorted for the sake of our club who I have supported all my life.

Garrido out wroteat 15:49:47 on 10 June 2015

I'm not surprised that the club chooses not to engage with a publication that refused to promote the Alan Henning fundraising game vs Swinton because they weren't invited (your words).
I never thought you could top the COUNCIL OVERTIME SCANDAL story which resulted from 4 street cleaners being sent to the stadium outside normal hours, however I think you have managed it with this latest effort.

B Ezzer wroteat 15:46:07 on 10 June 2015

Start of with "we understand" progress to "unnamed source" and finish with "if true"
well I've understand that the Salford Star have an agenda an unnamed source confirmed it and if true it proves that The Salford Star is written by amateurs
"allegedly B Ezzer

Rob Potts wroteat 14:37:15 on 10 June 2015

RE: Ken Edwards' comments....
I was on the 'Fans Board.' We met once in September last year, a few days after Marwan Koukash had reacted angrily to a defeat at Wakefield.
The only other meeting was in December, although this was essentially a presentation from the marketing company that the club had taken on (WeAreJustR). My understanding is that the club parted company with this marketing agency after the first game of the season against St Helens.
There have been no further meetings or consultations with the 'fans board,' despite comments to the contrary made by Marwan Koukash.

Salford Star wroteat 14:37:12 on 10 June 2015

See Garrido Out comment below... We can guarantee the source was not a `prolific female tweeter'. At the end of the day we offered the club the chance to deny all these allegations and it declined.

Garrido Out wroteat 14:35:15 on 10 June 2015

Rumours are rife on social media? Ha ha ha they must all be true then!
A player sold his car? Let me propose something radical: Perhaps he wanted a new car?
I will take a wild guess that your 'inside source' is a prolific female tweeter.
I look forward to the free admission offer vs Catalans. Hopefully the Salford public will turn out in force.

Ken Edwards wroteat 13:38:08 on 10 June 2015

Well said Simon Williams, that accurately sums up yhe feelings of Salfordians who follow our team; cannot fault the dedication of the players and supporters nor their passion. I wonder what happened to the fans board who were put in place to move the club forward. Fingers crossed all works out for our club.